And the Sun Went Down
by Skywindow
Summary: As Bail watches his daughter gaze at the sunset, he decides it's time he told her. Oneshot.


**A/N: I do not own "Star Wars" **

**Summary: As Bail watches his daughter gaze at the sunset, he decides it's time he told her. **

And the Sun Went Down

Bail Organa was sitting at his desk, sorting through the day's various news reports and letters, when the young handmaiden came in. She bowed, respectfully, and brought him his afternoon tea.

"The princess asked if she could watch the sunset tonight," she told him, setting the porcelain cup beside a mound of papers, "I hope you don't mind." Following her gaze to the glass doors of his office, he spotted his five-year-old daughter, standing on the sun-bathed balcony looking out at the mountains. He smiled to himself. Her brown curls were tied in a soft pink ribbon that trailed down her neck to a white nightdress that fell a little past her ankles. The handmaiden watched as his face relaxed into a joyous smile. Since the fall of the Republic, the people of Alderaan had become unsure of a lot of things, but there was no doubting that the King loved his daughter.

"Thank you, Ellé." He said, softly. After dismissing the young woman for the night, Bail put away the rest of his work and stood to join his little girl. For the first time that day, he felt a sense of peace. The Empire was briefly silenced as he unlatched the glass doors and quietly slid them open, letting the afternoon breeze rush across his face.

The sunset began to draw in over the mountains, centering on the orange and pink star. It reminded him of the first day he brought Leia home. He and Breha had stared at the sunset for what seemed like hours, just holding her, believing the sun might never go down on them—and she would never grow up. But the sun did set that day—and it would set now, too. Bail drew in a deep breath. Leia had changed his life. He loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone—and that was what scared him the most.

At times, he felt an ugly pang of guilt, shooting up to his heart like a jolt of hot lava. When he took his daughter's hand or read her a bedtime story, there was always a faint, taunting ghost telling him he didn't deserve it. And somewhere deep inside him, he knew that things would not always be so perfect. One day, Leia would know the truth—and so would Vader. But, he could hate Vader. He could even hate Anakin Skywalker, and he could tell himself that he _did _deserve Leia because if she didn't have him she'd be under the care of a malicious, heartless monster—but he couldn't hate Padme. He couldn't tell himself that he deserved Leia more than she did. Deep down, in places he'd never even discussed with his wife, he knew his daughter would never truly be his. As much as he wanted to protect her from the truth, he couldn't. He sighed, deeply as he watched the sky blend into a brilliant pink glow. He would tell her the truth for Padme, because she deserved that much.

He watched her for another moment, before stepping onto the cool marble deck. For a little girl who was only five years old, she was terribly mature. Many people believed she had simply inherited the precociousness his wife had been known for at that age, but he knew it was something more. It was _the force. _Sometimes, she stared out of her bedroom window for more than half-an-hour, just thinking. He asked her, once, what she was thinking about and she replied, "I don't know. I just get feelings, sometimes—like somebody's talking to me and the only way I can talk back is if I think." He hadn't thought much of it then, but now—as her little hands rested on the railing of the balcony, Bail swore he felt a tingle along his back—like someone was urging him to go to her. The feeling persisted, grew stronger, and in another rush of air he knew what it meant. _Padme. _He sucked in a breath of calm, springtime air. The tingling spread throughout his entire body. It felt like she was next to him, whispering words of comfort. She had always been so strong. When he listened to her speak in the senate, it gave him strength. As he glanced at his daughter again, he suddenly knew what she was giving him strength for. He knew it was time.

Silently, he walked out onto the balcony and leaned against one of the large, white pillars. The gold, pink, and red blended globe, half hidden by the tips of the snowcapped mountains held his daughter's gaze. As its colors fell on her little form, lighting her chocolate brown hair, her eyes lit up in awe.

"It's beautiful," Bail smiled, softly, "isn't it?" Leia turned to him, letting her brown eyes fall on his own. He could see it so clearly now—the way her eyes held a hint of wisdom, how her hair naturally fell in little ringlets around her head—she was so much like her mother. She smiled and, like the wisest of Jedi masters, replied, "Yes, it is." Bail walked to the railing and lifted her into his arms, kissing her softly on her head as she turned to watch the sun disappear for the night. She wrapped her arms around his neck, not willing to let him back to his desk. He was always busy, and as much as she wanted him all to herself, he had told her many times that Alderaan needed him just as much.

"Why don't we head inside before it gets too dark?" He suggested. She nodded, and he carried her gingerly back into the office. After latching the doors, he moved to one of the long, white sofas at the side of the room and sat down.

"Leia," he began, settling her on his lap, "there's something I need to tell you." She looked up at him with a curious expression, waiting for him to continue. With a sigh, he began struggling to find a way to begin.

"You know that your mother and I love you very much," he said, finally. Leia nodded, fervently, taking one of his large hands in both of hers. "And you know that love is what makes a family." Again, she nodded. "Well, we are your family—and always will be your family—because we love you," he paused and took a deep breath, "but you also have another family: your biological one." The little girl's eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Bi-logial?" She stammered, trying the foreign word on her lips.

"_Biological,_" Bail told her, "It means that they created you, that you grew in another woman's tummy—not mommy's." She looked down at her hands, trying to make sense of what he had said.

"Then who?" She asked, simply.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Bail asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Who's tummy did I grow in?" She said, looking into his eyes. Bail smiled, sadly, and gently moved her from his lap to the cushion beside them. Leia watched as her father stood and unlocked one of his desk drawers, taking out a small holo. A frown formed on his lips as he studied it, seeming lost in his thoughts, before closing the drawer and sitting beside her again. He placed the holo in her tiny hands, encouraging her with a soft smile: "Turn it on." She pressed the raised, circular bump on the side, lighting an image of a young woman—around twenty-five—standing beside her father on the landing deck. She wore a long, purple dress and her hair was wrapped in a high bun coiled in gold on her head. Leia gasped.

"You grew in her tummy, Leia—She's your mother." Bail told her, quietly. The little girl stared at the hologram intently, her heart fluttering with a feeling she couldn't describe. Gently, she lifted one of her tiny hands and brought it to her mother's face, letting it pass through the flickering image.

"I've seen her before," She mused, "in my dreams." Though he couldn't understand it, Bail wasn't surprised that Leia had dreamed of her mother. He knew his daughter had powers he would never truly grasp and, somehow, this was only the beginning.

"Her name was Padme," he continued, "She was a Senator when I knew her—and a great friend. She would have loved you very much." Leia nodded and continued to study her mother's face. Softly, she whispered, "Pad-uh-may," trying to attribute the word to the woman in front of her.

"What happened to her, daddy?" She asked after a moment. Bail sighed. He promised himself he would tell her the truth—that meant telling her about Anakin, whether his heart was screaming or not.

"She fell in love," he began, "with a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker. She loved him so much that she couldn't see what a bad man he was. He tried to hurt her when you were in her tummy and because of that, she—passed away."

Leia was silent for a few moments, then very quietly she said, "Oh." She switched off the hologram and placed it next to them, looking down at her tiny hands folded in her lap.

"Someone needed to take care of you, so your mother and I adopted you as our daughter. That's when we became your family." Bail said, after a while. Then, Leia turned her deep brown eyes to look up at him. He could see she wasn't satisfied with his explanation.

"Why did he hurt her?" She asked. Bail wondered the same thing, himself.

"I—I'm not sure, Leia. He was very angry. Sometimes, if you let your anger get out of control, the darkness can take over." He told her. She thought for a moment, and then looked to her mother's hologram as if it held some hidden answer.

"Where is he now?" She asked him.

"He died," Bail replied, without hesitation, "not long after you were born." Leia furrowed her brows and looked down at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. She looked so much like her mother he could hardly stand it. "Leia, I know this is a lot for you to try and understand—and you don't have to understand it all right now. What's important is that you know about your biological family—and that they loved you." She nodded slowly, still staring at her hands. "Are you all right?" He asked, softly.

"Mm-hmm." She mumbled, quietly, "…I wish my real mommy wasn't _passed away_." Bail's heart swelled with pain.

"I know, sweetheart," he frowned. She rubbed her eyes, tiredly, before looking up at him. Her eyes widened slightly, as if she had a sudden realization.

"Daddy?" She whispered, seemingly unsure of whether or not to continue, "If I didn't grow in mommy's tummy, does that mean you're not really my daddy?" Bail's throat constricted. Even if he had known what to say, he might not have been able to speak at all.

"Well," he stammered, trying to buy time, but Leia only stared at him. She looked so concerned. He tried to find some way out, but he couldn't. He could only tell her the truth.

"No, Leia," he sighed, "I'm not you biological father. The man Padme was in love with—Anakin Skywalker," he nearly choked, "is your biological father." She frowned as tears began welling in her eyes. He pulled her against him, struggling to keep the tears down himself. "Oh Sweetheart, I know it's hard, but we're still your family. We love you more than anything. And this—it doesn't have to change anything. You're still Leia Organa; you always will be." He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, lifting her chin to look into her eyes.

"So, you're still my daddy?" She asked, anxiously.

"Yes," he told her, determinedly, "I will _always _be your daddy."

That night, after he tucked her into bed, he stood at the door for a few minutes. She hadn't said another word about Padme and Anakin since their talk, but he knew more questions would come, as she got older. Maybe he was wrong to tell her about them so early, but somehow, it felt right. Deep down, he felt that it was all part of a plan much bigger than the two of them—that Leia was destined for something. He only hoped that whatever it was, she would be prepared for it.

_20 Years Later…_

"_I will always be your daddy." _Leia tried to hold back the tears that were welling in her eyes. Vader had lied. It was the only possibility. He couldn't be Luke's father—_their _father—not after he took so much from them. He had destroyed her home planet, tortured the man she loved, and severed Luke's hand. He was no father. He was a murderer.

"_She fell in loved with a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker." _Luke swore there was good in him. He told her over and over that at the end, when he died, he was Anakin Skywalker again. He begged her to forgive him, but she wouldn't. He begged her to accept that he was _her_ father, too. All she ever said was, "I already have a father—and Vader killed him." Luke had idolized his long-lost, heroic father all his life, but Leia knew the truth. Anakin Skywalker was a monster and she would never forgive him.

**A/N: I've been working on this for about a month. It's still a little rough, but I really like how the part where Leia finds out about Padme turned out. Let me know what you thought :) **


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